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» FINES have been issued after a Cheltenham minibus full of people from different households travelled to Pen y Fan.

Police said a “couple of hundred” vehicles were at the Welsh beauty spot on Monday, December 28, including people from Cheltenham.

Another man had travelled from Hertfordshire, Wales Online reports.

Officers were carrying out highvisibility patrols in the area after it was reported that large crowds had gathered to walk the snowy mountain.

Wales went into Tier 4 over the festive period, with people not meant to travel unless it is essential.

Inspector Andrew Williams, from Dyfed-powys Police’s specialist operations team, said that officers on site noticed that visitors were turning around once spotting police vehicles.

He said: “We are carrying out highvisibility patrols at Pen y Fan and engaging with people to remind them of their responsibilities to adhere to Welsh Government lockdown restrictions. There are a couple of hundred vehicles in the area.

“Officers have spoken to one man who had driven from Hertfordshire to walk up the mountain, while a minibus of people from mixed households had travelled from Cheltenham.

“Fixed penalty notices have and will be issued to those blatant breaches where engagement fails, but the vast majority of people are listening to advice and when they are turning up and seeing RPU vehicles at the site, they are turning around and going home – which is the objective of our high visibility patrols.”

A tweet posted on the team’s Twitter page said: “Although the snow does look pretty on the mountains the current Welsh Government guidelines say people should only travel if it’s essential.

“No journeys of any significant distance should be taken, for example, just in order to exercise in the countryside or at beauty spots.”